CJI-led SC bench to hear suo moto Kolkata doctor rape-murder case today

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) The Supreme Court, which has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month, will hear the matter on Tuesday A 3-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra will take up the case titled “Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues”.Several letter petitions were addressed to CJI Chandrachud, urging the apex court to take suo moto cognisance of the incident and issue directions for an immediate and impartial investigation.One of the letter petitions filed by Monica Singh, a doctor by profession, through her advocate Satayam Singh pleaded with the top court to exercise judicial oversight in the RG Kar matter to ensure that the investigation is conducted thoroughly and impartially.It also prayed for guidelines to enhance security measures at medical colleges and hospitals across the country to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, and for framing comprehensive guidelines for the protection of medical professionals and institutions.“The attack on the R.G. Kar Medical College was not merely an isolated incident of violence, but a direct assault on the healthcare system of our nation. It undermines the safety and security of those who have dedicated their lives to serving others. Swift and decisive action by the Supreme Court is essential to restore faith in the rule of law and to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of our medical institutions,” the letter petition read.Meanwhile, the former principal of Kar Medical College & Hospital Dr Sandip Ghosh, on Monday, was interrogated at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s Salt Lake office on the outskirts of Kolkata. This was the fourth consecutive day that Ghosh appeared for interrogation at the central agency office. He faced marathon questioning for 13 to 14 hours each day since last Friday.The CBI officials are also trying to figure out whether the attempted renovation at a room adjacent to the seminar hall by PWD staff on the evening of August 13, just a few hours after a division bench of Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe in the matter, was done as per instructions of Ghosh.–IANSpds/dpb